This invention relates to the field of textile technology as particularly related to the process of winding thread or yarn onto a spool to form a yarn package after occurrence of some fiber preparation operation during which yarn breakage is likely to occur. An example of such is in a false-twist machine. Although the term "yarn" will be used for illustrative purposes herein it should be understood to include threads or filaments of many fiber types.
Traditionally during a texturing operation when a yarn strand is broken before completion of the yarn package, the imcompletely filled spool is removed from the winding mahine and a new package is begun. Previously there has been no satisfactory way of replacing broken yarns in such operations. Depending on the weight of the incomplete yarn package the package with a broken yarn has been treated one of two ways. For example if the weight of the yarn is less than about 21/2 pounds the package generally is removed from processing and sent to a rewind operation. This rewinding of incomplete yarn packages is an inexpensive loss to the manufacturer (10-15 cents/pound). If, on the other hand, the weight of the package is greater than 21/2 pounds when the breakage occurs the yarn is shipped on; however, it becomes expensive to the manufacturer because spools are expensive and less than full packages increase the number of spools required.
While it may seem to be an easily solved problem to tie broken ends, such has not been possible because previously the only way to bring the broken ends out was at the base end of the spool which was provided with a tail-end starting device. It is not feasible to tie broken ends at the base end of the spool because takeoff in the next operation is from the opposite end.
To the inventor's knowledge there has been no apparatus and no process directed to the resolution of the above problem.